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Works ｜ Naming of bridges ｜ Works of pride

Bridges

Naming of bridges


(Source: Chia-yi City Chia-yi Charity Organization website)

Hueisheng, Renhuei, Hongren, Jiahong… With the establishment of bridge after bridge, you would feel moved, but do you also want to understand the naming rules and their meanings? Now, we will explain in detail.

1Naming rules

Concrete bridges

 

  • Renovation: the name of the old bridge is used [ex: Yiren Hanging Bridge]
  • Construction: names are based on names of the local place [ex: Shanmei Hanging Bridge → Shanmei Township, Alishan Village, Chiayi County]
  • Earlier: the first word of the previous bridge is used as the second word of the next bridge [ex: Yuanfu, Hoyuan, Huiho (31-33)]

Hanging bridges


(Source: Chia-yi City Chia-yi Charity Organization website)

  • # Middle period: uses words such as “shan” and “hsing” as the first word, which means “do good” [ex: Shanhsing, Shanbao, Shanpu (111-113), Hsingbo, Hsingsheng, Hsingjuan (211-213)]
  • # Currently: “Ren” is used as the first word, and the second word is voted on by the council and supervisory board [ex: Renhuei, Renming, Renkun (241-243)]

 

 

 

1In detail


(Source: Chia-yi City Chia-yi Charity Organization website)

For the Charity Organization, naming is only a formality that allows the bridge to have a name, so they never write much about it. For example, between the 51st Tzudu Bridge and the 101st Hsiehli Bridge, there were no set principles, and bridges were named according to feelings at the time. At the earliest times, all names are thought by Mr. Ho Ming-de, which would be set after asking approval from the gods.
If we look closely, it is easy to see that after the 231st Huaide Bridge, Charity Organization formally entered into the current method of naming. The biggest reason for this is to make a distinction between Ho Ming-de’s Charity Organization and the Ho Ming-de Charity Organization after he passed away (Ho Ming-de Charity Organization continues to use “hsing” as the first word, while the Charity Organization uses “ren”). However, not all naming occurs so smoothly. The most obvious case is the Puhang Bridge built at the Puhang Temple in Miaoli. In April of 2007, after the Charity Organization has decided on the name and prepared to unveil the name, the temple stopped them, and requested that Charity Organization should use the name “Puhang” after the temple. Although many volunteers adamantly opposed this, believing that bridges built by the Charity Organization should be named by the Charity Organization, but due to the principle of “people do, heaven sees,” and the indifference of Mr. Ho Ming-de toward fame and profit, in the end the Charity Organization gave up the naming rights of the bridge.

1Future plans


(Source: Chia-yi City Chia-yi Charity Organization website)

Furthermore, we now know the names of future bridges; here they are firsthand.

382nd Rentu Bridge  (12/23/2007 under construction)

383rd Renchuan Bridge   384th Renyao Bridge   385th Renyi Bridge   386th Renting Bridge

387th Renyuan Bridge   388th Renhuang Bridge   389th Renhuang Bridge   390th Renmu Bridge

391st Renru Bridge   392nd Renhsun Bridge   393rd Renpu Bridge   394th Rencheng Bridge

395th Renwen Bridge   396th Renang Bridge   397th Renchang Bridge   398th Rentang Bridge

399th Renjun Bridge  400th Renning Bridge  401st Renmi Bridge  402nd Renjiang Bridge

403rd Rentong Bridge  404th Renhsi Bridge

(Reference resources: The narration of Director General and Chief Secretary and written by our group after the research)